Well, learning from the Fanime blog, I'm glad I got rid of that blog and you can guess the reason why. And with this new California Conventions Blog, all conventions - not just Fanime and Sac-Anime/Sac-Con - can be covered without having to put one blog for each con.
Here's the thing. AX is one of those cons I would love to go to. The big problem that I have is the hotel situation. Unlike the Long Beach CC and the Anaheim CC, the LACC doesn't have a connecting hotel (for counter-reference, Fanime has two - the Marriott and the Hilton). Here's the list of hotels as listed on AX's website:
- Figueroa Hotel (939 South Flower Street)
- Hilton Checkers Los Angeles (535 South Grand Avenue)
- Holiday Inn LA City Center (1020 South Figueroa Street)
- Kawada Hotel (200 South Hill Street)
- Los Angeles Marriott Downtown (333 South Figueroa Street)
- Sheraton Los Angeles Downtown (711 South Hope Street)
- The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites (404 South Figueroa Street)
- The Los Angeles Athletic Club (431 West 7th Street)
- Wilshire Grand Hotel Los Angeles (930 Wilshire Boulevard)
Keep in mind the hotel list from the OFFICIAL WEBSITE. None of these hotels are within close proximity of the LACC like the majority of the cons like Fanime, SakuraCon, Anime Boston, ACen, and so fourth. The closest hotel is the Holiday Inn LA City Center - and that's about a 10-min 1/2 mile walk.
I'm not saying this because I'm too lazy to walk 1/2 mile to a con. Cons strive for safety, and when the majority of the attendees of a given con don't have to walk far to the con, staff and the people who keep the peace (such as the rovers and the police officers on duty) can breathe a bit easier. Sure, there are hotels outside the main blocks that connect to the convention center (like the Fairmont and Crowne Plaza for Fanime), but when all the attendees who are staying in the official con hotels have to walk or take some sort of transportation (I'm guessing AX will provide courtesy shuttles to all listed hotels this year like last year), I draw the the line at that point for my safety and the safety of everyone at the con.
There's a lot more about AX I can type up about, and that'll be coming in the coming days if not right after Fanime when I decide if I want to committ to AX.
Thanks for the hotel list. Make sure you don't miss Morning Musume this year!
ReplyDeleteThe shuttle is safe and efficient. They check badges so it's only for AX attendees. The downside (but I guess a positive for safety) is that it'll be hard to hang out w/ people staying at other hotels because you can only take the shuttle for your hotel. They weren't being strict about it the first 2 nights but started cracking down on it so you have to make sure to register ALL the people staying in your hotel. I'm not going to lie, I usually just register 2 and stack in another 3 but that'll be hard to do this year.
ReplyDeleteThis part of Downtown LA is actually pretty safe. And from what I noticed last year, the cops kept hanging around the convention center. I think the cosplayers frightened them. haha. I'm sure there are more reasons you may not want to go... but if it's just the hotel situation, I don't think that should stand in your way.